Italian craft IPA is the counter-story to Italian craft lager. If Birrificio Italiano and Tipopils defined Italy as a Pilsner country, Opperbacco (Abruzzo), Ritual Lab (Rome), Del Ducato, and Toccalmatto have quietly built an Italian IPA identity in parallel — often experimenting more freely than their US and UK peers because Italian craft brewing started without the weight of American IPA orthodoxy. Opperbacco alone appears multiple times on this ranking with TriplIpa, Overdose, and 4×4 — a portfolio range that spans the family in a way few single breweries attempt.
Currently leading the ranking: Wave Runner (Hammer Beer), Spring and Birrificio Isola IPA (Birrificio Isola). Hammer Beer places 4 of the top 10.
How this ranking works
The hopIQ Score judges every beer against its style first: it rewards medals from competitions that judge within style categories and deducts points where a beer measurably deviates from its style reference. Community ratings add to that. Non-alcoholic excluded. No paid placement — order follows the data alone. Ranking spans 108 beers from 30 breweries.
Top 5 of 50
ABV
6.5%
Bitterness
Very bitter
Colour
golden 8
The brewery's version of an American IPA: pale, dry and very aromatic. American hops, among them Simcoe, Amarillo, Citra and Centennial, are added at several stages of production and build a bouquet with notes of mango, apricot, peach and…The brewery's version of an American IPA: pale, dry and very aromatic. American hops, among them Simcoe, Amarillo, Citra and Centennial, are added at several stages of production and build a bouquet with notes of mango, apricot, peach and citrus. 65 IBU give a firm bitterness over the dry body.
Spring#267 worldwide
ABV
6.0%
Bitterness
Noticeably bitter
Colour
golden 8
An IPA of ruby red colour, brewed with a blend of four different malts that give it intense malty notes. American hops add a citrusy, floral and tropical-fruit aroma on top. With 35 IBU the bitterness is restrained for the style, which…An IPA of ruby red colour, brewed with a blend of four different malts that give it intense malty notes. American hops add a citrusy, floral and tropical-fruit aroma on top. With 35 IBU the bitterness is restrained for the style, which leaves room for the malt.
ABV
6.0%
Bitterness
Strongly bitter
Colour
golden 6
A Sardinian American IPA from Birrificio Isola, founded December 2017 in Thiesi in Sassari province. Amber, unfiltered, dry-hopped with American varieties for tropical fruit and citrus over a firm bitter finish. 6% vol., 45 IBU. Part of…A Sardinian American IPA from Birrificio Isola, founded December 2017 in Thiesi in Sassari province. Amber, unfiltered, dry-hopped with American varieties for tropical fruit and citrus over a firm bitter finish. 6% vol., 45 IBU. Part of the young Sardinian craft wave carrying island ingredients onto the peninsula.
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Reveille#468 worldwide
ABV
6.5%
Bitterness
Strongly bitter
Colour
golden 8
Reveille is an IPA with resinous and fruity notes, fresh and pungent on the nose. It is intense yet easy to drink and pleasantly bitter. Granda built it to be less malty than a West Coast IPA and more aromatic. Ranked on fit to the IPA reference, award history in style-judged competitions and community ratings.
5
Guerrilla#479 worldwide
ABV
5.8%
Bitterness
Strongly bitter
Colour
amber 9
CRAK's award-winning flagship — Silver at European Beer Star 2024, first place at Brussels Beer Challenge 2023. An explosion of tropical fruit from Citra and Mosaic hops: mango, pineapple, grapefruit and a clean resinous backdrop.…CRAK's award-winning flagship — Silver at European Beer Star 2024, first place at Brussels Beer Challenge 2023. An explosion of tropical fruit from Citra and Mosaic hops: mango, pineapple, grapefruit and a clean resinous backdrop. Guerrilla is the beer that put CRAK on Italy's craft beer map: a benchmark American IPA at 5.8% that demonstrates why Campodarsego has become a heartland of Italian hop-forward brewing.
Ranks 6–10
6
Sera Nera#542 worldwide
A black IPA that pours dark brown with a creamy, persistent beige head. The nose is fresh, and the scents of resin and grapefruit prevail over the roasted notes. On the palate the creamy texture is the first thing to register, and the…A black IPA that pours dark brown with a creamy, persistent beige head. The nose is fresh, and the scents of resin and grapefruit prevail over the roasted notes. On the palate the creamy texture is the first thing to register, and the flavour brings out the earthy, roasted side of the malts. Top-fermented, refermented, unfiltered and unpasteurised.
7
Mini#608 worldwide
An India pale ale scaled down to 4.2%. Amber in colour and brewed to quench thirst, it stays very aromatic for its strength, with intense notes of exotic fruit and citrus. 40 IBU leave a pleasantly bitter aftertaste. Ranked on fit to the IPA reference, award history in style-judged competitions and community ratings.
8
Vergott#783 worldwide
Vergott is a golden white IPA: a top-fermented beer of barley malt, wheat and oats, spiced with coriander and bitter orange peel and hopped more firmly than a wheat beer would be. The spices lend freshness, the hopping is moderate in aroma…Vergott is a golden white IPA: a top-fermented beer of barley malt, wheat and oats, spiced with coriander and bitter orange peel and hopped more firmly than a wheat beer would be. The spices lend freshness, the hopping is moderate in aroma but ends in a marked bitterness. The palate is full and enveloping yet stays easy to drink.
9
No Mask#873 worldwide
No Mask is a double IPA that pushes the hops hard: tropical fruit, resin and a pungent edge. The nose opens with ripe fruit and resin. On the palate American hops come through with force, held by a full, rounded malt base; oats are part of…No Mask is a double IPA that pushes the hops hard: tropical fruit, resin and a pungent edge. The nose opens with ripe fruit and resin. On the palate American hops come through with force, held by a full, rounded malt base; oats are part of the grist. The sip is firm and long and ends on a pleasant bitterness.
10
Koral#893 worldwide
An India pale ale hopped with varieties from around the Pacific, selected anew each year from Australia, the United States and Japan. Slightly amber in colour with a delicate malt profile, it gives the hops the stage: vivid aromas of…An India pale ale hopped with varieties from around the Pacific, selected anew each year from Australia, the United States and Japan. Slightly amber in colour with a delicate malt profile, it gives the hops the stage: vivid aromas of yellow and tropical fruit, citrus, and balsamic nuances behind them. 60 IBU provide a solid bitterness.
The taste landscape
Of the 50 top beers, 1 lean malt-forward and 49 lean hop-forward.